by Sam Tackeff | Apr 13, 2009 | Holidays
Spring! Spring! Spring!
One of my favorite parts of this season, aside from all the blooming, sprouting, and renewed sense of joy that people seem to have, is the opportunity to cook spring holiday food, even when the holiday isn’t exactly mine to celebrate. (This seems to be a national trend: I was more than excited to see the Obama’s hosting the first White House Passover Seder.)
Here is a sneak look at last night’s passover friendly Easter dinner: Trader Joes rack of lamb, mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup and cinnamon, and steamed asparagus, baked for ten extra minutes with some grated cheese on top.
This entire meal was put together and finished in twenty five minutes, and while quick cooking is not normally a priority for me, sometimes I just want to be out of the kitchen relaxing… participating in another of my favorite spring activities: watching the end of basketball season, and the beginning of the baseball season. Go Sox!
::Mashed Sweet Potatoes:: Peel a few large sweet potatoes and cut into rough inch sized cubes. Place the cubes in a microwavable bowl, add a few tablespoons of maple syrup, and a quarter cup or so of water, cover with saran or a microwave lid, and cook on high for about 12 minutes, or until soft and drain. Mash with a fork or a masher, add a tablespoon of butter, a tablespoon of cream (or half and half, or milk), and sprinkle with cinnamon.
by Sam Tackeff | Apr 8, 2009 | Farmers Market, Turkish
Growing up, one of my favorite foods from my mother’s kitchen was the Dolma. Dolma in Turkish really refers to pretty much anything stuffed, rather than just the stuffed grape leaves it has become synonymous with in the States.
Some of my favorite dolma were her stuffed tomatoes, peppers and zucchini: vegetables from our garden ubiquitous in the summer time, that truly sang with a little bit of added filling. At home, my mother would make them with a traditional Turkish style filling of ground meat, rice, onion, chopped tomato, mint, dill, parsley, and toasted pine nuts.
After finding some spectacular peppers, and some Kokuho Rose brown rice this week at Alemany farmer’s market, I set about gathering ingredients for my dolma. I already had some left over cooked ground turkey that I had sauteed for a frittata filling that needed to be used up, and stuffed peppers seemed to be a natural receptacle for using up my leftovers. While these stuffed peppers don’t follow the traditional recipe, they are still incredibly delicious, and bring back so many good memories of home and excitement for the summer to come.
The best part about these stuffed peppers is that you can make them well in advance, and they taste equally good, if not better, the next day for lunch. And, they are the perfect size to pop two into a bento and have a filling lunch at work. Finally, in the spirit of adding as many vegetables to my diet as possible, I decided to add some roasted cherry tomatoes to the filling, and pop in a few extra scored tomatoes into the final dish to roast alongside my peppers. If you have any extra vegetables that need some cooking, this isn’t a bad dish to pop them in alongside.
Roasted Tomato and Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers
serves two, with extra for lunch
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked ground turkey (seasoned well with cumin, salt, pepper, chile powder)
1/2 onion
olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
a few tablespoons of freshly torn basil
salt and pepper
4 red bell peppers
A good glug of balsamic vinegar
a few teaspoons of fresh thyme and oregano
olive oil
plain yogurt (optional)
Method:
Making the filling:
1. While brown rice is cooking, pop a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes in a pan with some olive oil, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and freshly torn basil. Cook at about 300 degrees F, until the rice is done, about 40 minutes. They should get all jammy and delicious.
2. Right after popping the tomatoes in the oven, start the ground turkey, first sauteeing a half an onion in a little bit of olive oil for about 15 minutes until soft, and then adding the ground turkey, and cooking until well browned. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder to taste. (I usually use about a teaspoon each of cumin and chile powder, but I like these with a little kick.
3. When the rice, tomatoes, and turkey are done, stir together in a bowl, and add a good glug of balsamic vinegar, and a few teaspoons of fresh thyme and oregano.
Assembling the peppers:
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a deep baking tray or roasting tray with foil, and grease lightly.
5. Cut the peppers lengthwise, leaving the stem in place, but scooping out any seeds and excess white bits. For smaller peppers, feel free to lop off the top instead of cutting lengthwise. My mother bakes her peppers with the tops on, but I personally enjoy how the filling gets crisp on top when left uncovered. In a large baking pan lined with foil, place the peppers, season with a little salt, and pour on a little bit of olive oil.
6. Stuff the peppers with the mixture, place in the pan, and cover with foil, cook for 45 minutes at 400 F, uncover and cook for about 10 more minutes, or until top has lightly browned. Serve immediately, with a lemony herb salad. If you like, top with some plain yogurt – a very traditional Turkish accompaniment to this dish. I just spoon it over the top, it’s not fancy, it looks a little odd, but it tastes delicious. (It’s like the middle eastern equivalent to sour cream or mexican crema.)
by Sam Tackeff | Apr 6, 2009 | Mixed Drinks
Usually around five thirty in the afternoon when the weather gets warm I crave an afternoon cocktail, something light and refreshing to wind down the day. I close my eyes, sip my drink and pretend that I’m wearing a sun dress, a straw hat, looking over my expansive gardens and thinking up what to pick and prepare for dinner when my friends all descend on my farm.
Ok, so really, I’m in my third floor, garden-less apartment in the city… But a girl can dream.
Generally, my goals for an afternoon drink are light, citrus-y, and not too much liquor; my favorites being the sidecar and the mojito, but only if made from freshly squeezed juices! I decided to meld the two together for this drink, and I brought out the juicer to squeeze some of my mandarins into the base for my thirst quencher, because I have a ten pound bag that needed to be used up. Although, frankly, we seem to be going through about 15 of these little cuties a day, so really, I needn’t worry.
The resulting beverage is sweet, herb-infused, and certainly refreshing!
Mandarin-Thyme Cocktail
makes one
1 cup of freshly squeezed mandarin orange (clementine) juice
1.5 ounces tasty booze*
a few teaspoons fresh thyme
a few teaspoons fresh mint
Sugar, for the rim
Muddle the the thyme and mint with the whiskey. Add to the juice with some ice, and shake until well cold. Sugar the rim of a highball glass, and strain the mixture in, topping with a mint leaf.
*I used Seagrams whiskey, all I have at the moment, but ideally I’d make this drink with a little bit of Hennessy (Cognac) or Grand Marnier (Cognac with bitter orange).
